Auto blog

2021 Acura TLX Long-Term Update | Seats look great, feel less so

There's a lot to like about our Acura TLX A-Spec's interior. In particular, I love the vivid red leather upholstery, the satisfying drive mode selector, and the loads of space inside. What I'm not so in love with is the actual design of the front seats. They look great and are quite shapely with the undulating black faux suede inserts and leather piping separating the aforementioned red leather panels. But they're underwhelming when they're under you. My biggest complaint is that the seat bottom is extremely short, and the adjustment for angle is a bit limited. As such, my thighs lack support, and on a long trip, this can become quite uncomfortable. The Acura is far from the only car I've experienced with this issue, but with our car priced over $45,000, it's surprising there isn't more adjustment, or some sort of seat base extender common in sportier cars (most notably BMW). 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec View 51 Photos Also disappointing is the lack of lateral support. The seats look like they have some decent bolsters, but they're very soft and fairly wide apart. As such, they don't do much to keep you in place. And although this isn't the full-force Type S, the A-Spec still has an air of sportiness about it, so it seems like something Acura would want to improve a little. It's not all bad, though. The seats themselves have thick and reasonably soft cushioning, so the parts of you that are supported are comfortable. The adjustable lumbar support is actually quite excellent with the ability to add quite a bit over a large area. Overall, I'm not angry with the TLX's seats, I'm just a bit disappointed. They wouldn't put me off the car, I just think that, for as good as so much else is, it deserves something better. Related Video:

Acura recalling nearly 20k new MDX crossovers over AWD driveshafts

Acura is recalling nearly 20,000 of its 2014 MDX crossovers fitted with all-wheel drive over driveshaft concerns. The affected vehicles were built between May 6, 2013 and October 14, 2013, and have bolts that attach the driveshaft to the transmission that may not have been tightened properly.
Needless to say, an improperly secured driveshaft could lead to a number of problems, including everything from excessive drivetrain noise to full driveshaft detachment, a condition which could result in a loss of power and crash.
There's been no reports of accidents, injuries or deaths relating to the driveshaft issues. Acura will begin notifying all 19,197 owners in question of the recall, and will request that they report in for repairs, which will consist of tightening the driveshaft-attaching bolts. Scroll down for the official bulletin from NHTSA.

Acura spotlights NSX pace car at Pikes Peak

You can't just have any old street car setting the pace at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, can you? Of course not. For that task, you'd need a supercar with exceptionally high performance capabilities. Something like the new Acura NSX, for example. Fortunately that's just what the organizers of the annual Race to the Clouds selected to serve as official pace car this year. Honda's new hybrid supercar, set to be built in Ohio, donned a unique livery, a senior PR rep behind the wheel, and a smattering of GoPro cameras to speed up the 14,110-foot mountain. Naturally the twin-turbo V6 engine, nine-speed, dual-clutch transmission, and three-motor Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system formed an integral part of the package as well, even if its output hasn't been officially released more specifically than the "over 550 horsepower" we've been told to expect. The Japanese automaker also placed another couple dozen cameras along the 12.4-mile route and its 156 turns. Which is a good thing, considering that most of us weren't there in Colorado to see it make its run up the mountain, and nobody was there at each corner as it passed – except, of course, for the driver, Sage Marie. The rest of us will want to check out the minute-long clip Acura has released to see the NSX gun for the sky.